For Me, It’s 11pm
A couple of days ago I hit a big number. The older I get the less I care about birthdays. No need to fuss or party, since everyone has one. But decade markers make a person sit up and take notice.
Remember in Top Gun when the old ace pilot tells Maverick, "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash"? Well, my mind is the one writing checks since I don't see myself as old as the passport says but my body just can't pull off what used to be easy. Ah, the ravages of age.
The only Psalm attributed to Moses is 90. And the verse that gets the most attention is 90:12.
Teach us to number our days, that we gain a heart of wisdom.
What a profound request couched inside a prayer. What he asks is far more than etching a yearly mark on the wall, and by asking to be taught he implies the impact of years isn't naturally grasped. So, what is there to learn from this verse? I see at least three things:
The fleeting nature of life for every person
An inevitable but indeterminate end easily ignored
Wisdom that leads people to treasure each day as a gift to receive, not a chore to endure
Understanding Psalm 90 begins in vv. 1,2
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
God being our dwelling place talks of home. Bend, Oregon has been our home for over 36 years. We love it here (as do lots of other folks). We have lived through its growth from a small mill town into something quite different, but we love it and it's still home. But as much as I love our physical hometown, through adoption into his family, my true home is in the heart of God. In him lies my peace and confidence, my future as well as my present. The God who made it all invited the world to join with him, and Jesus made it possible.
So, "teach me to number my days" may not be saying "Get busy! Time is short" rather a chance to gain wisdom into a larger picture of God at work in his world. The gift of each day we live holds all it needs to provide all we need.
In the most difficult days, he is our dwelling place, our true home.
When we tremble, we remember that we can be strong and courageous in the strength of his might, just like the faithful in every generation.
As we travel the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for he is with me, and presence precedes answers.
Whatever I am faced with I know he will never leave me or forsake me.
Give me, God, a heart of wisdom to really see life for what it is and who I am in it.
A long-dead English theologian, Leslie Weatherhead, used the illustration of a day in relation to age showing the value of time.
He concluded that if your age is 15, the time is 10:25 a.m. If your age is 20, the time is 11:34. If your age is 25, the time is 12:42 p.m. If you’re 30, the time is 1:51. If you’re 35, the time is 3:00. If you’re 40 the time is 4:08. At age 45, the time is 5:15. If you’re 50, the time is 6:25. By age 55, the time is 7:24. If you’re 60, the time is 8:42. If you’re 65, the time is 9:51. And if you're 70...the time is 11 p.m.
So, friends, the clock is ticking! If Weatherhead is even remotely correct, it's past my bedtime and there is less of the day ahead than I imagine. I pray that I, and you, my friend, can measure our days and live accordingly for every one we have left to live. Life is too precious to waste even a day of it.
***
While journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson was pretty much a rascal, he sure could turn a phrase. I recall a funeral of a woman in our church years ago who had this Thompson quote read at her service.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!
And Music for the week...
and dog jokes for the good of the order...
HOW MANY DOGS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?
Golden Retriever: The sun is shining. The day is young. We've got our whole lives ahead of us. And you're inside worrying about a stupid, burned-out light bulb?
Border Collie: Just one. Not only that, but I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
Dachshund: I can't reach the stupid lamp!
Toy Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.
Rottweiler: Go Ahead! Make me!
Shi-tzu: Puh-leeze, dah-ling. What are servants for?
Lab: Oh, me, me!!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Can I?
Malamute: Let the Border collie do it. You can feed me while he's busy.
Doberman Pinscher: While it's dark, I'm going to sleep on the couch.
Mastiff: Mastiffs are NOT afraid of the dark.
Hound Dog: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Pointer: I see it, there it is, right there...
Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?
Australian Shepherd: Put all the light bulbs in a little circle...
Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? Light bulb? That thing I just ate was a light bulb?
__________
**And another dog-gone joke
DOGS' LETTERS TO GOD:
Dear God,
When we get to heaven can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?
Dear God,
Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE named for a dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We dogs love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the Chrysler Eagle the Chrysler Beagle?
Dear God,
If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?
Dear God,
Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another? Where are their priorities?
Dear God,
More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.
Dear God,
When we get to the Pearly Gates, do we have to shake hands to get in?
Dear God,
Are there dogs on other planets or are we alone? I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the Schnauzer across the street.
Dear God,
Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?
Dear God,
We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?